🏛 Historic Stadium
Griffith Stadium stood in the LeDroit Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C., as the city’s preeminent sports venue for more than five decades. Built in just three weeks after a fire destroyed its predecessor, the steel-and-concrete ballpark opened on April 12, 1911, when President William Howard Taft threw the ceremonial first pitch — a gesture that launched a presidential tradition honored by every commander-in-chief through John F. Kennedy.
For half a century the stadium was home to the Washington Senators of the American League, the Washington Redskins of the NFL, and the Homestead Grays of the Negro National League. Griffith Stadium hosted World Series games in 1924, 1925, and 1933, welcomed two MLB All-Star Games, and witnessed Mickey Mantle’s legendary estimated 565-foot home run in 1953. The last baseball game was played on September 21, 1961; the stadium was demolished in January 1965 to make way for Howard University Hospital.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Georgia Avenue and W Street NW, Washington, D.C.
- Opened: April 12, 1911
- Last Game: September 21, 1961
- Demolished: January 1965
- Capacity: Around 27,000–35,000 (varied over 50 years)
- MLB Tenant: Washington Senators (1911–1961)
- NFL Tenant: Washington Redskins (1937–1960)
- Negro Leagues Tenant: Homestead Grays (1940–1948)
- World Series Hosted: 1924, 1925, 1933
A Ballpark Built in Three Weeks
Griffith Stadium had an improbable origin. In March 1911, a fire consumed American League Park II, the wooden ballpark the Senators had used since 1903. With the season just weeks away, a new steel-and-concrete structure rose in under a month. The design was deliberately no-frills, intended to accommodate both baseball and football, and its outfield was shaped by the residential properties along Georgia Avenue whose owners refused to sell — producing a quirky, asymmetrical geometry that gave the park its character and made home runs notoriously difficult, earning it a reputation as a pitcher’s paradise.
Opening day set a template that endured for decades. President Taft’s ceremonial first pitch began a tradition that every president through Kennedy honored at Griffith Stadium. Over the following years the venue hosted boxing matches featuring Joe Louis, religious revivals, college football, and World War II bond drives, cementing its role as Washington’s central gathering place.
World Series Glory and a Legendary Home Run
The stadium’s defining baseball moments came in the 1920s and 1930s. The Washington Senators won the 1924 World Series over the New York Giants in a dramatic seven-game series played partly at Griffith Stadium, then returned as hosts again in 1925 and 1933 — championship memories that would not be repeated in the city for nearly a century.
On April 17, 1953, Mickey Mantle hit a ball estimated at 565 feet over the left-field bleachers, a blow that popularized the phrase ‘tape-measure home run.’ The Homestead Grays, one of the Negro Leagues’ greatest dynasties, also called the stadium home from 1940 to 1948, drawing large crowds and showcasing stars such as Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. When the original Senators departed for Minneapolis after 1960 and an expansion club briefly took their place in 1961, the era wound down quietly. The stadium was sold to Howard University for $1.5 million, razed in January 1965, and replaced by Howard University Hospital — where a plaque along Georgia Avenue and a marker inside the entrance still honor the site of home plate.
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Griffith Stadium FAQs
Why was it called Griffith Stadium?
The stadium was named for Clark Griffith, the former pitcher who purchased the Washington Senators in 1920 and ran the franchise for decades. The ballpark had been known as American League Park before being renamed in his honor.
What teams played at Griffith Stadium?
The Washington Senators of the American League were the primary tenant from 1911 to 1961. The Washington Redskins of the NFL played there from 1937 to 1960, and the Homestead Grays of the Negro National League used it as a home park from 1940 to 1948. College teams including Georgetown and George Washington also played there regularly.
What stands on the site of Griffith Stadium today?
Howard University Hospital now occupies the site at Georgia Avenue and W Street NW in Washington, D.C. A commemorative plaque along Georgia Avenue marks the historic ballpark, and the location of home plate is noted inside the hospital entrance.
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Photo by Daniel Chavez on Unsplash.